The present invention relates to stringed musical instruments, more particularly to instruments having a long fretted neck and steel strings such as a guitar and the like.
Stringed instruments typically have steel strings that are attached at the upper end of the instrument to tuning machines or gears on the upper end of the neck. The strings run from the upper end of the neck, over a nut and a bridge to the bottom part of the body of the instrument, where they are securely attached. The strings are pulled straight by tension.
Due to the fact that the strings are under considerable tension, there is a strong upward bowing force exerted on the neck of the instrument. To prevent the neck from bowing under the tension, necks are currently constructed to resist the bending propensity. This is accomplished by making the neck with considerable thickness, increasing the thickness towards the point where the neck joins the body. In addition, the neck is constructed out of materials the can withstand the tension placed on the neck by the strings. The thicker neck makes it difficult for persons with small hands or short fingers to reach around the neck to finger the strings. Despite the thicker neck or stronger materials, there is still a tendency for the neck to bow due to the fact that the string tension is constant and over time and the materials will give way to the tension.
When the neck on a conventional instrument bows, the strings are taken further away from the fretted neck thus making the instrument even harder to play. Therefore, there is a need for making a stringed instrument where the neck is free from such tension to prevent it from warping or bending throughout the life of the instrument.
Stringed musical instruments produce sustain generated by the instrument itself. Sustain is defined as the length of time it takes for the plucked string to stop producing tones. The most important factor in producing sustain is the construction of the guitar. The best sustain potential requires that the body and neck be made of one piece of heavy and dense material. There is a need in the art for a musical instrument that can produce quality sustain potential.
The present invention relates to a stringed musical instrument including but not limited to 4, 6, 7, 8, and 12 string electric, acoustic or semi-acoustic guitars having a solid or hollow body and to 4, 5, and 6 string bass electric, acoustic or semi-acoustic guitars having a solid or hollow body.
The stringed instrument comprises a body portion and a rigid frame portion. A fretted neck is attached to the body portion at one end and a nut is disposed on the neck at the distal end from the body portion. In a preferred embodiment, the rigid frame portion comprises a top and bottom extension cut away from and running generally parallel and coplanar to the length of the neck. The top and bottom extensions pass beyond the neck and join together beyond the distal end of the neck without contacting the neck. The instrument also comprises a plurality of strings attached to the body portion of the instrument. The strings extend from the body portion lengthwise of the fretted neck to a plurality of tuning machines located on the frame portion where the frame portion acts as an extended headstock. The tuning machines allow the user to adjust the tension of the strings for tuning purposes and are attached to the frame portion of the instrument beyond the neck so that the neck is not stressed from the tension of the strings.
In one embodiment of the invention, string tie-downs are affixed to the frame portion of the instrument to hold the strings in place. The string tie-downs are spaced an equal distance from each tuning machine for each corresponding string. In another embodiment of the present invention, the neck is elevated from the frame portion such that a string extending lengthwise from the body portion over the nut produces a downward angle from the nut to the tuning machines. It was found that this downward angle keeps the intonation or action correct at the nut. This prevents xe2x80x9cbuzzingxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9crattlingxe2x80x9d while the instrument is being played. It was also found that this downward angle allows the instrument to keep its perfect toning up to concert pitch by keeping all of the notes from being either flat or sharp.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the tuning machines are positioned on the frame portion in a manner where the strings extend in a straight line from the body portion over and in contact with the nut to the tuning machines. Preferably, the frame is situated at an angle to the strings to allow each tuning machine to align with its corresponding string so that the strings extend in a straight line from the bridge on the body to the tuning machines. In addition, at least one pick-up is affixed to the body portion under the strings to transmit the vibrational tones created by the strings to the amplifier.
The inventor, unexpectedly, found that the instrument according to the present invention, produces better quality musical tones due the guitar""s resonance and structural characteristics. In addition, the design allows for a more even and clear sound quality to be produced by the strings.